THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA

By STUART ELLIOT

Published: October 30, 2000

Several advertisers have made decisions on accounts.

Cap Gemini Ernst & Young in Paris -- a management and Internet technology consulting company that was formed after Cap Gemini acquired the consulting practice of Ernst & Young -- named D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles in New York, part of the Bcom3 Group, as the first agency to handle its worldwide account. Billings were estimated at more than $50 million.

Cindy Greener, the Cap Gemini marketing director for Britain and Ireland, who is based in London, said the decision came after a three-month review that had been narrowed to D'Arcy; offices of Euro RSCG Worldwide in New York, part of Havas Advertising; and StrawberryFrog in Amsterdam. D'Arcy will work with units like Clarion Marketing and Communications in Greenwich, Conn., and the Brand Optimization Services Group in New York; and sibling MediaVest in New York, part of the Starcom MediaVest Group unit of Bcom3.

Renaissance Cruises named two New York units of the Grey Global Group, Grey Direct and Ericsson Fina, to handle its first national advertising and marketing account. Billings were estimated at $55 million.

Brad Ball, a spokesman at Renaissance in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said the decision came after a two-month review that had been narrowed to the Grey units and three other finalists: Beber Silverstein & Partners in Miami; FCBi in New York, part of the FCB Worldwide unit of True North Communications; and MMG Worldwide in Kansas City, Mo. Previously, Renaissance had handled advertising in-house.

A franchised chain of fitness centers based in Pleasanton, Calif., 24 Hour Fitness, expanded its relationship with Grey Global by naming the San Francisco office of MediaCom to handle its national television media planning and buying, and the San Francisco office of Grey Direct to handle direct response broadcast media planning and buying. Spending was estimated at $10 million to $12 million. The San Francisco office of Grey Worldwide has handled creative work for 24 Hour since March 1999. Media duties had been at Janik & Associates in Los Angeles, which is closing.

And Fruit of the Loom, which is operating under federal bankruptcy protection, named the Richards Group in Dallas as agency of record for its retail business. Billings were estimated at more than $10 million.

John Shivel, vice president for marketing for Fruit of the Loom in Bowling Green, Ky., said the decision came after a two-month review that had been narrowed to Richards and two other finalists: Campbell Mithun in Minneapolis, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, and Creative Alliance in Louisville, Ky. Before the company filed for bankruptcy, the account had been handled by Warwick Baker O'Neill in New York, part of EPB Communications.